U.S. patent number 4,600,456 [Application Number 06/637,386] was granted by the patent office on 1986-07-15 for method and apparatus for forming woven endless tire reinforcing belts.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Armstrong Rubber Company. Invention is credited to Richard W. Oswald.
United States Patent |
4,600,456 |
Oswald |
July 15, 1986 |
Method and apparatus for forming woven endless tire reinforcing
belts
Abstract
The object of the invention is to simplify the production of
woven, endless tire reinforcing belts by enabling rapid, economical
changes in belt size and simplified removal of the belts from the
weaving apparatus. The invention provides a method and apparatus
for forming reinforcing belts which meet this objective by
employing an endless weaving surface comprised of a flexible belt
supported by means rotatable about spaced, parallel axes. By moving
the supports apart, the weaving surface is tensioned for the
weaving operation; and, by moving the supports toward one another,
the weaving surface is relaxed to permit removal of the woven
reinforcing belt. The circumference of successive reinforcing belts
can easily be changed by changing the flexible belt comprising the
weaving surface.
Inventors: |
Oswald; Richard W. (Madison,
CT) |
Assignee: |
Armstrong Rubber Company (New
Haven, CT)
|
Family
ID: |
24555699 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/637,386 |
Filed: |
August 2, 1984 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
156/117; 156/177;
156/440; 156/397 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29D
30/70 (20130101); B29C 70/16 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B29D
30/70 (20060101); B29D 30/06 (20060101); B65H
081/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/177,181,175,174,117,397,425,433,441,439,440 ;28/101,103 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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3248264 |
|
Jul 1984 |
|
DE |
|
2134030 |
|
Aug 1984 |
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GB |
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Primary Examiner: Ball; Michael
Attorney, Agent or Firm: St. Onge, Steward, Johnston &
Reens
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for forming a woven endless tire reinforcing belt by
laying coated continuous cord reinforcement on an endless weaving
surface in a zig-zag pattern to weave said belt thereon,
comprising: an endless weaving surface; reinforcement guide means
for supplying cord reinforcement to said endless weaving surface;
means comprising a plurality of support members rotatable about
spaced parallel axes, for continuously moving said endless weaving
surface in a closed loop about said axes; and means for
reciprocating said guide means in timed relationship with said
support members along a path parallel to said axes to effect the
laying of said cord reinforcement on said surface in a zig-zag
pattern.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said endless weaving
surface comprises a steel belt.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including: means for
moving at least one of said rotatable support members in a
direction generally perpendicular to said axes to enable
establishment of a desired degree of tension on said endless
weaving surface during application of said cord reinforcement
thereto and to enable simplified removal of a woven belt therefrom
upon completion.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3 which further includes timing
means including a phase lock loop controller for synchronizing the
continuous movement of said rotatable support members with the
reciprocation of said guide means.
5. Apparatus according to claim 3 which includes a plurality of
reinforcement guide means.
6. Apparatus for forming a woven endless tire reinforcing belt
comprising: an endless weaving surface comprising a flexible belt
having a width greater than that desired for the reinforcing belt
and a perimeter equal to that desired for the reinforcing belt;
reinforcement guide means for supplying coated continuous cord
reinforcement to said endless weaving surface; a plurality of
cylindrical support members, rotatable about spaced parallel axes,
for moving said endless weaving surface in a closed loop about said
axes in timed relationship with said guide means; and means for
moving at least one of said cylindrical support members in a
direction transverse to said axes to enable establishment of a
desired degree of tension on said endless weaving surface during
application of said cord reinforcement thereto and to enable
simplified removal of a woven belt therefrom upon completion.
7. Apparatus for weaving an endless tire reinforcing belt of a
desired predetermined circumference from coated continuous cord
reinforcement, comprising: an endless weaving surface comprising a
belt having a perimeter effective to produce a reinforcing belt of
the desired predetermined circumference; reinforcement guide means
for supplying coated continuous cord reinforcement to said endless
weaving surface in a zig-zag pattern, being positioned across said
surface from one side to the other at an angle to the edges of the
belt being formed with reversals at the edges and lengths of said
cord reinforcement between reversals being interleaved with lengths
disposed at an opposite angle along at least one line substantially
parallel to and intermediate the edges of said belt, the parameters
of said belt being approximately ##EQU3## wherein C is the
circumference of the reinforcing belt, A is the smaller angle
between the cord reinforcement and the edge of the reinforcing
belt, W is the width of the reinforcement belt measured
perpendicular to the edges, EPI is the number of cord
reinforcements per inch measured perpendicular to the cord lengths,
P is an integer and equal to one plus the total number of
interleaving lines parallel to and intermediate the edges of the
reinforcing belt, M and D are two integers having no common factor
and which render ##EQU4## are an integer with D being less than P,
and D and P have no common factor, GR is the number of repeating
cycles of the cord reinforcement edge and back to the same edge for
each circumference of the reinforcing belt; a plurality of
cylindrical support members, rotatable about spaced parallel axes,
for moving said endless weaving surface in a closed loop about said
axes in timed relation with said guide means to achieve said
parameters of said belt; means for moving at least one of said
cylindrical support members in a direction transverse to said axes
to enable establishment of a desired degree of tension on said
endless weaving surface during application of said cord
reinforcement thereto and to enable simplified removal of a woven
belt therefrom upon completion.
8. A method for weaving an endless tire reinforcement belt of a
predetermined circumference from coated continuous cord
reinforcement, comprising: supporting an endless weaving surface,
comprising a flexible belt having a perimeter effective to produce
a reinforcing belt of the predetermined circumference and a width
greater than that of the reinforcing belt to be woven, about a
plurality of support members which are rotatable about spaced
parallel axes; and laying coated continuous cord reinforcement on
said endless weaving surface in a zig-zag pattern, said cord being
positioned across said surface from one side to the other, at an
angle to the edges of the belt with reversals at the edges, and
lengths of said cord reinforcement between reversals being
interleaved with lengths disposed at an opposite angle along at
least one line substantially parallel to and intermediate the edges
of said belt being formed, to thereby form a woven endless tire
reinforcing belt.
9. A method for weaving an endless tire reinforcing belt of a
predetermined circumference from coated continuous cord
reinforcement on an endless weaving surface and removing said
reinforcing belt from said surface, comprising: supporting an
endless weaving surface, comprising a flexible belt having a
perimeter effective to produce a reinforcing belt of predetermined
circumference and a width greater than that of the reinforcing belt
to be woven, about a plurality of support members which are
rotatable about spaced parallel axes; laying coated continuous cord
on said endless weaving surface in a zig-zag pattern, said cord
being positioned in timed relation with said support members across
said surface from one side to the other, at an angle to the edges
of the belt with reversals at the edges, and lengths of said cord
reinforcement between reversals being interleaved with lengths
disposed at an opposite angle along at least one line substantially
parallel to and intermediate the edges of said belt being formed,
to thereby form a woven endless tire reinforcing belt; moving at
least one of said support members in a direction transverse to said
axes to slacken tension on said flexible belt; and removing said
reinforcing belt from said flexible belt.
Description
DESCRIPTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to simplified production of woven,
endless tire reinforcement belts.
In recent years, endless woven tire reinforcement belts have been
shown to provide a number of advantages over breaker belts of more
conventional construction. According to the preferred mode of
production, these endless belts are woven from coated continuous
reinforcement material by laying it in an ordered zig-zag pattern
on the surface of a forming drum of predetermined diameter.
It is an advantage of production that the woven belts are rapidly
formed. Unfortunately, however, when it is desired to switch from
production of reinforcement belts of one diameter to another, it
has been necessary in practice to change the size of the drum and
make a number of adjustments with regard to the means for feeding
the reinforcement material to the drum. While expandable drums of
various types are known, none of these drums, except those with
complicated mechanical features, have been capable of automatically
doffing or removing completed endless belts. Moreover, even for
drums of fixed size, removal of the belts from the forming surface
has required complicated mechanical constructions.
It would be desirable to have a method and apparatus which would
simplify the production of woven, endless tire reinforcement belts
by enabling rapid, economical changes in belt size and simplified
removal of belts from the weaving apparatus.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,426 to G. C. Varner describes the method of
production of endless reinforcements for pneumatic tires by winding
a continuous reinforcement cord in a generally zig-zag pattern.
According to this disclosure, the reinforcement cords are
preferably coated with rubber prior to laying them on a forming
drum of fixed diameter. The cords are positioned across the width
of the reinforcement belt being formed from one side to the other
at an angle to the edges of the reinforcement with reversals at the
edges. Lengths of cord between the reversals are interleaved with
lengths disposed in an opposite direction along at least one line
substantially parallel and intermediate the edges thereof. The
perimeters of the reinforcement pattern within the endless
reinforcement belt are defined in terms of a mathematical
expression.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,569, V. W. Kimball discloses an endless
reinforcement of this type but which is made by weaving strips
containing a plurality of cords instead of individual cords. The
width of the strips are said to vary over a considerable range but
will generally be between about one-half and two-and-one-half
inches to facilitate convenient handling and reinforcement
construction. Each strip will contain a plurality of cords spaced
sufficiently to provide from about ten to about forty cords per
inch of strip width. Utilization of continuous cord reinforcement
in the form of strips of this type provides advantages over the use
of single cords in terms of manufacturing efficiency and final belt
characteristics.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,623, N. E. Klein discloses a method and
apparatus for removing an endless reinforcement belt from a
cylindrical drum on which the belt is woven. According to the
disclosure, radially-movable bands cover the surface of the drum
over which the reinforcement belt is woven. Upon completion of the
weaving operation, the bands are moved radially across the surface
of the drum and carry the completed reinforcement belt off of the
drum. The complex apparatus is said to be necessary because, even
though collapsable drums had been used in the past, the
reinforcement belts formed thereon still tended to adhere to
portions of the drum surface even after the drum was collapsed.
However, the complexity of this device greatly adds to the cost of
the equipment and does not permit the formation of belts of more
than one size on a given drum surface.
As a possible solution to the problem presented by Klein in the
above-noted patent, he notes in his later patent, U.S. Pat. No.
3,761,340, that it is possible to employ radially-movable doffing
bands on an adjustable drum surface to enable weaving and doffing
belts of different circumferences. Unfortunately, the mechanism
required to enable varying the drum size while still permitting
radial movement of the doffing bands is even more complex than the
apparatus of his earlier noted patent. Moreover, the degree to
which the drum is adjustable is quite limited.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,524, J. R. Tolan discloses an apparatus for
forming continuous tire reinforcement belts of varying
circumferences by permitting the use of forming drums of a
plurality of sizes. According to the disclosure, the means for
guiding the continuous coated cord reinforcement onto the drum are
adjustable relative to the axis of rotation of the drum. The
adjustability provided by this apparatus does enable the formation
of continuous woven reinforcement belts in a wider variety of
circumferences than was previously possible; however, the need to
change winding drums and the need for complex mechanisms to adjust
the position of the guide means, present complexities and more
sources of potential malfunction than would be desired in a
commercial, high-production setting.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
method and apparatus for forming woven endless tire reinforcement
belts which enable rapid, economical changes in the size of
reinforcement belts made and simplify removal of the reinforcement
belts from the weaving apparatus.
The apparatus in its broad aspects comprises: an endless weaving
surface; reinforcement guide means for supplying cord reinforcement
to said endless weaving surface; and means comprising a plurality
of support members rotatable about spaced parallel axes, for
continuously moving said endless weaving surface in a closed loop
about said axes. The apparatus preferably further includes means
for moving at least one of said rotatable support members in a
direction generally perpendicular to said axes to enable
establishment of a desired degree of tension on said endless
weaving surface during application of said cord reinforcement
thereto and to enable simplified removal of a woven belt therefrom
upon completion of a weaving operation.
The method, in its broad aspects, comprises the steps of:
supporting an endless weaving surface, comprising a flexible belt,
having a perimeter effective to produce a reinforcing belt of
predetermined circumference and a width at least as great as that
of the reinforcing belt to be woven, about a plurality of support
members which are rotatable about spaced parallel axes; and laying
coated continuous cord reinforcement on said endless weaving
surface in a zig-zag pattern, said cord being positioned across
said surface from one side to the other at an angle to the edges of
the belt, with reversals at the edges and lengths of said cord
reinforcement between the reversals being interleaved with lengths
disposed at opposite angles, to thereby form a woven endless tire
reinforcement belt. Preferably, the method will further comprise
moving at least one of said support members in a direction
transverse to said axes to slacken tension on said flexible belt
and removing said reinforcement belt from said flexible belt.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and its advantages will
become more apparent when the following detailed description is
read in light of the accompanying drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation, in perspective, of the major
component parts of the apparatus of the invention in operation;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tire, partially broken away to
show an endless tire reinforcing belt made according to the present
invention in place in a tire; and
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 3--3 in FIG.
2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Endless woven tire reinforcement belts of the type produced by the
present invention find utility in virtually all vehicle tires. One
of the widest uses is in passenger car tires of otherwise
conventional radial and bias ply construction. The perspective
drawing of FIG. 2 shows such a tire 10 with a portion of the tread
12 thoroughly removed showing the reinforcing belt 14 positioned on
top of a radial ply tire carcass 16. Reference to FIG. 3 shows, in
cross-section, the preferred arrangement of the reinforcing belt 14
with respect to the tread 12 and the tire carcass 16. The apparatus
of the present invention, described below with reference to FIG. 1,
simplifies the production of reinforcement belts of this type, for
passenger tires of the type specifically shown as well as for
trucks, tractors and a wide variety of other utilities.
It can be seen from FIG. 2 that the woven endless tire reinforcing
belt 14 is composed of a number of coated continuous cord
reinforcement strips 18 disposed in a zig-zag repeating pattern
with succeeding lengths of the strip being displaced from each
other. At the edges of the reinforcing belt are turns or reversals
in the direction of winding such as shown at 20. The lengths of
cord reinforcement between the reversals are interleaved with
lengths of cords disposed at an opposite angle along at least one
line substantially parallel to and intermediate the edges of the
reinforcing belt. This interleaving relationship results in a woven
structure, the production of which will be described in more detail
below with regard to FIG. 1.
The individual continuous cord reinforcements 18 which are woven
into the belt 14 are typically comprised of one or more tire cord
strands embedded in or coated with a suitable rubber or other
polymeric material. The cord may be of such materials as
fiberglass, rayon, polyester, Aramid, nylon, cotton, steel, other
metal or other similar types of cords. Most preferably, the coated
continuous cord reinforcement will contain a plurality of parallel
cords spaced evenly within a partial vulcanized rubber coating.
The continuous cord reinforcement will contain cords of the type
and at the spacing effective to achieve the performance
characteristics desired for intended conditions of use. For truck
or tractor tire constructions, the cords are typically polyester,
Aramid, glass or steel cord material in a reinforcement strip about
1/2 inch wide, which contains from six to twenty or more cords,
preferably about eight or more cords across the width.
FIG. 1 schematically represents a preferred apparatus according to
the present invention in operation during the early stages of
formation of an endless tire reinforcing belt. As shown, the
apparatus includes a flexible endless belt 22, which may be a
multiple ply belt of reinforced rubber or of stainless steel having
a thickness of from about 0.032 to 0.035 inches. The outer surface
24 of the endless flexible belt 22 comprises an endless weaving
surface upon which the coated continuous cord reinforcement strips
18 are laid to form the reinforcing belt. The inner surface of the
endless flexible belt 22 may have means such as a "V"-shaped
projection (not shown) to mate with a complimentary notch in
support or guide members to assure tracking.
To support the endless weaving surface carried on the flexible
endless belt 22, means comprising a plurality of support members,
here shown as cylindrical members 26 and 28 are provided. If
desired, a greater number of support members can be provided. All
of the support members are rotatable about spaced parallel axes,
here shown as defined by the centers of shafts 30 and 32. Due to
the buildup of tension during winding, means should be provided for
securely locking the shafts at the desired spacing. According to
the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the support member 26 is the driven
member with support member 28 being driven by it due to the endless
flexible belt 22 being tensioned thereover during operation. Member
26 is driven by means operatively engaged with shaft 30 to cause
rotation in the direction shown by the arrow and movement of the
belt being formed in a generally left-to-right direction in the
drawing. Suitable drive means including a variable speed DC motor
31, appropriate gearing, and a phase lock loop control system, as
will be explained in more detail below, are provided.
By providing an endless weaving surface according to the present
invention which is flexible and supported by two movable support
members, it is possible to rapidly modify production to accommodate
planned or unplanned demand for reinforcing belts of differing
circumferences. Thus, in the middle of a production run for a belt
of a given circumference, the production can be rapidly changed as
a short term need arises for belts of a different circumference.
Because this reinforcing belt weaving step in the overall tire
manufacturing process does to some extent control overall
production, the need for such rapid changeover often saves time in
multiples of that actually saved by the quick changeover. Such
quick changeovers have not heretofore been possible where it has
been necessary to not only change the size of the forming drum, but
then to also make further adjustments as to the positioning of the
means for feeding the continuous cord reinforcement to the
drum.
Another advantage of employing an endless weaving surface driven by
movable support members is the simplified belt removal or doffing
operation. Means are provided according to the present invention
for moving one or all of the support members apart so as to provide
a suitable tension on the flexible belt 22 for the weaving
operation and also for moving the support members toward each other
upon completion of the weaving of a reinforcing belt to facilitate
simplified removal of the reinforcing belt from the endless weaving
surface. Production of reinforcing belts on current equipment
requires the use of a suitable release layer between the winding
drum and the reinforcing belt. The use of this release layer can be
omitted according to the invention.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is capable of laying two coated
continuous cord reinforcement strips on the endless weaving surface
24 simultaneously. This is currently the preferred mode of
operation, however, the same principles apply regardless of the
number of cord reinforcement strips employed, whether it be one or
a greater plurality.
Each of the strips, 18 and 18' are supplied to the endless weaving
surface 24 by independent reinforcement guide means shown generally
as 38 and 38' because each of these means functions in the same
manner, except for its movement being in mirrored relation to the
other, the operation of only reinforcement guide means 38 will be
described. The like parts on the other means will be the same with
like parts performing like functions having the reference numeral
distinguished in the drawing by the use of prime numbers. Both of
these reinforcement guide means can be simply and effectively moved
in the requisite timed relationship to the movement of the weaving
surface by operable engagement through suitable gearing with
variable speed DC motor 37 which is synchronized with motor 31 for
the endless weaving surface. With regard to reinforcement guide
means 38, this engagement is schematically indicated in the
drawing. The ability to maintain the motor drive 37 and its
associated gearing as well as the reinforcement guide means 38 in
fixed position while enabling the production of endless tire
reinforcement belts of a wide variety of circumferences, is a
significant advantage in terms of the simplicity of equipment
design and the resultant enhancement of reliability provided
thereby.
The relative speeds of motors 31 and 37 are synchronized by phase
lock loop controller 33 and associated circuitry, or other suitable
servo motor control system. The phase lock loop controller will
preferably be of the high gain high accuracy type and can be set to
a desired ratio of speeds for the two motors by suitable means such
as a digital thumbwheel switch 34. In the preferred embodiment, the
speed of motor 37 will be monitored by encoder 35 which provides a
reference signal to the phase lock loop controller 33 and the speed
of motor 31 will be monitored by encoder 36 which provides a
feedback signal to the controller 33. The corrected drum drive
speed is then provided to motor 31 by the controller 33.
In operation, an individual coated continuous reinforcement strip
18 is fed through a suitably-shaped slot in alignment means 40 and
then between counter-rotating rollers 42 and 44 which are operable
to lay the strip under pressure against endless weaving surface 24.
The slot in member 44 receiving the strip 18 is maintained in its
proper orientation with its length perpendicular to the direction
of travel of the continuous weaving surface 24, by alignment
control means which include an annular groove 46 on member 40 for
receiving a control band 48 which is received in an annular groove
50 in control means 52 mounted on carriage 54. The control
mechanism 52 is understood in the art and forms no part of the
present invention.
The movement of the reinforcement guide means 38 back and forth in
a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of
the endless weaving surface 24 is achieved by moving carriage 54
back and forth about guide rod 56. Cam follower 58 is attached to
carriage 54 by means of connecting rod 60 and tracks the path of
slide cam 62 in the cylindrical camming means 64 which is driven
through operable engagement with motor 37.
The pattern on the coated continuous cord reinforcement strip
within the endless tire reinforcing belt being formed is achieved
by timing the movement of reinforcement guide means 38 with the
movement of the endless weaving surface 24 as described above. The
cord reinforcement is applied to the endless weaving surface in a
zig-zag pattern, being positioned across the surface from one side
to the other. The angle of the cord reinforcement strip to the
edges of the belt is reversed and the lengths of the cord
reinforcement between reversals are interleaved with lengths
disposed at an opposite angle along at least one line substantially
parallel to and intermediate the edges of the belt. The parameters
of the belt are related according to empiracle relationships, which
are generally described in the following manner: ##EQU1## wherein C
is the circumference of the reinforcing belt, A is the smaller
angle between the cord reinforcement and the edge of the
reinforcing belt, W is the width of the reinforcing belt measured
perpendicular to the edges, EPI is the number of cord
reinforcements per inch measured perpendicular to the cord lengths,
P is an integer and equal to one plus the total number of
interleaving lines parallel to and intermediate the edges of the
reinforcing belt, M and D are two integers having no common factor
and which render ##EQU2## an integer with D being less than P, and
D and P have no common factor, GR is the number of repeating cycles
of the cord reinforcement edge and back to the same edge for each
circumference of the reinforcing belt. This is, however, at best an
approximation and does not hold true for all desired patterns when
wound on the apparatus of the invention. There are several factors
which make mathematical predictability difficult with this
apparatus. Among these are, the changing effective radius and
effective velocity of the forming surface. However, with the
formula as a guide, the desired pattern can be obtained
reproducably through limited trial and error.
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to
the following example which is intended to illustrate the best mode
for carrying out the invention.
EXAMPLE
A reinforcing belt for a radial ply tire is made on an apparatus as
shown in FIG. 1 employing the following procedure. The inner
circumference of the endless reinforcing belt for a truck tire is
about 129 inches and the width is about 7 inches. The coated
continuous reinforcement strip has a cross-sectional width of about
1/2 inch and a cross-sectional thickness of about 0.080 inch. Each
of two reinforcement strips employed in weaving the belt have six
uniformily spaced, parallel 3,000/3 cord, i.e. there are 3 yarns of
3,000 denier each twisted together to form cord construction. The
strips are laid on a reinforced rubber endless belt which comprises
the weaving surface with the linear speed of movement of the
surface being about 45 feet per minute. To achieve the zig-zag
winding, the reinforcement guide means are reciprocated back and
forth across the intended width of the belt. This movement of the
reinforcement guide means back and forth is continued as the
movement of the endless weaving surface is continued through a
total of 85 complete circumferential passes of the weaving surface.
Upon completion of the winding operation, a non-driven cylindrical
support member is moved toward a driven cylindrical support member
to slacken the tension on the flexible belt, which forms the
weaving surface, to thereby permit easy removal of the completed
reinforcing belt from the weaving surface. The endless reinforcing
belt is then applied as a breaker belt to a radial ply tire carcass
of the 10 R 22 size, and tread and sidewall forming rubber stock is
then placed over the breaker belt. The resulting assembly is then
molded under heat and pressure and vulcanized to form a completed
tire.
The above description is for the purpose of teaching the person of
ordinary skill in the art how to practice the present invention.
This description is not intended to describe in detail each and
every obvious modification of the invention. Applicant's do intend,
however, to include all such obvious modifications and variations
within the scope of the invention which is defined by the following
claims.
* * * * *